The FAA Is Asking For Passenger Input On Gadget Use During Flights

If you’ve been on a plane any time in the last several years, you’ll have at some point been annoyed by the directive to not use any electronic gadgets during takeoff and landing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking a new look at that policy now, however, as the rise of portable gadgets has made the current policy pretty outdated.

As travelers grow more and more dependent on their iPads and other portable devices for directions and entertainment, the FAA is asking passengers – along with flight attendants, airlines, and device manufacturers – what they think should be changed. They’ll also be looking into how various electronics might interfere with airplane systems, and how to prevent them from doing so.

Regardless of what passengers have to say, it won’t be a complete gadget free-for-all on airplanes any time soon, though. Here’s what the FAA has to say about it:

In today’s avionics, there are various systems—global positioning, traffic collision and avoidance, transponder, automatic flight guidance and control, and many other advanced avionics systems— that depend on signals transmitted from the ground, other aircraft, and satellites for proper operation. In addition, there are advanced flight management systems that use these avionics as a critical component for performing precision operational procedures. Many of these systems are also essential to realize the capabilities and operational improvements envisioned in the Next Generation airspace system. As such, harmful interference from PEDs cannot be tolerated.

If you’d like to get in touch with the FAA and tell them how you feel, GigaOm has full contact information for the government agency.